Information Management System, and Printer

ABSTRACT

Customers are able to obtain information printed on a receipt without greatly changing the configuration of devices such as POS registers that process product sales. In an information management system  1 , a printer  3  prints a receipt based on transaction information related to a product sale; a receipt database  7  stores transaction information relationally to a unique ID  52 ; an member service server  6  registers unique IDs  52  in the receipt database  7 ; an NFC reader  45  reads the unique IDs  52 ; and a control unit  30  determines if a unique ID  52  is registered in the receipt database  7 , prints transaction information and access information for accessing the member registration server  62  if the unique ID  52  is not registered, and sends the unique ID  52  and the transaction information to the member service server  6  if the unique ID  52  is registered.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority under 35 U.S. C. §120 on, application Ser. No. 14/385,651, filed Sep. 16, 2014,which is a 371 of international application no. PCT/JP2013/003471, filedJun. 3, 2013, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application Nos.0.2012-138479, filed Jun. 20, 2012 and 2012-138481, filed Jun. 20, 2012.Each such priority application is hereby expressly incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an information management system thatprocesses transaction information related to product sales, and to aprinter.

The present application claims priority based on and incorporates byreference the entire contents of Japan Patent No. 2012-138479 filed inJapan on 2012 Jun. 20, and No. 2012-138481 filed on 2012 Jun. 20.

2. Background

Technology enabling the customer to acquire information printed on areceipt in POS systems that execute sale processes, for example, isknown from the literature (see, for example, PTL 1). In the systemdisclosed in PTL 1, a server computer stores a database of receiptinformation and an e-mail database storing e-mail addresses used toretrieve the receipt information; and when a POS register installed in astore runs a sale process and prints a receipt, the server computerissues a receipt ID, and generates and sends an e-mail addresscontaining this receipt ID to the POS register. The POS registerthenprints purchase history information with the e-mail address on thereceipt, and the customer can acquire this information using this e-mailaddress.

PATENT LITERATURE

[PTL 1] JP-A-2004-185443

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

In order to acquire information printed on a receipt in the systemdescribed in PTL 1, the POS register or other device that prints thereceipt must be able to get and print information other than the receiptinformation, such as a receipt ID and e-mail address, from anotherdevice. As a result, building the system of the related art describedabove requires significant modification of the system configuration,including updating POS registers that only perform sales-relatedprocesses, for example, or replacing the POS registers. Introducing thetechnology is therefore not easy.

Solution to Problem

The present invention is directed to solving at least part of theforegoing problem, and can be achieved by the embodiments and examplesdescribed below.

A printing device is adapted to communicate with a remote server, a POSterminal, and an external device. The printing device comprises a printunit configured to print a receipt; and a controller configured toacquire identification information from the external device andtransaction information from the POS terminal, and to send thetransaction information and the identification information to the remoteserver.

The controller of such a printing device may be configured to access andreference an identification information database in which theidentification information is stored.

The controller may be further configured to determine whether theidentification information acquired from the external device is storedin the identification information database. If the identificationinformation acquired from the external device is not stored in theidentification information database, the controller sends accessinformation to access the remote server to the print unit and controlsthe print unit to print the receipt based on the access information.

The print unit is preferably configured to print the receipt based onthe transaction information.

The controller may be configured to determine whether the identificationinformation is input from the external device during a specific timeperiod after the transaction is input from the POS terminal. If theidentification information is not input during the specific time period,the controller controls the print unit to print the receipt based on thetransaction information.

Preferably, the identification information database stores a printreceipt flag corresponding to the identification information andspecifying whether or not to print the receipt.

The controller may be configured to acquire the print receipt flag fromthe remote server.

The printing device may further comprise a storage unit configured tostore the identification information database.

In another arrangement, a control method is provided for a printingdevice, which is adapted to communicate with a remote server and has aprint unit configured to print a receipt, a controller, a POS terminal,and an external device. The control method comprises acquiring customeridentification information from the external device and transactioninformation from the POS terminal; and sending the transactioninformation and the identification information to the remote server.

The control method may further comprise accessing and referencing anidentification information database in which the identificationinformation is stored.

The control method may further comprise determining whether theidentification information acquired from the external device is storedin the identification information database. If the identificationinformation acquired from the external device is not stored in theidentification information database, sending access information toaccess the remote server to the print unit and controlling the printunit to print the receipt based on the access information.

Printing the receipt is preferably based on the transaction information.

The control method may further comprise determining whether theidentification information is input from the external device during aspecific period of time after the transaction information is input fromthe POS terminal. If the identification information is not input duringthe specific period of time, printing the receipt based on thetransaction information.

Preferably, the identification information database stores a printreceipt flag corresponding to the identification information, and thecontrol method further comprises determining whether or not to print thereceipt based on the print receipt flag.

The control method may further comprise acquiring the print receipt flagfrom the remote server.

The invention can be used to build a system that stores informationprinted on receipts as data and enables customers to retrieve the datawithout greatly changing the configuration of POS registers or otherdevices that process transactions related to product sales in a store.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of an information management systemaccording to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the structure of data stored to the databases.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a receipt printed by the printer.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart describing the operation of the informationmanagement system.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart describing the operation of the informationmanagement system.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart describing the operation of the informationmanagement system.

FIG. 7 illustrates the configuration of an information management systemaccording to a second embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1

A first embodiment is described below with reference to the accompanyingfigures. Note that for convenience of description and illustration, thevertical and horizontal scale of members and parts may differ from theactual in the figures referenced in the description below.

Configuration of an Information Management System

The configuration of an information management system applying theinvention is described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows theconfiguration of an information management system according to the firstembodiment of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information management system 1 includes a POSterminal 2 and a printer 3 (printing device) embodying an example of aPOS system used in a retail store or other business, and a memberservice server 6 (identification information management device),connected over a communication network 10. The communication network 10is a communication network deployed over a wide area, such as theInternet, and while the specific configuration thereof is not limited,the communication network 10 may include communication lines such ascommon carrier or dedicated lines operated by a telecommunicationprovider, or communication lines including connections operated by acell phone provider.

The POS terminal 2 includes a barcode reader for registering productsthat are sold, a key operating unit, a customer display that displaysprice information for the customer, a cash drawer that holds money, acard reader that reads credit cards and other magnetic stripe cards, andother components not shown in the figure. The main functions of the POSterminal 2 include, for example, tabulating products purchased bycustomers at the point-of-sale at a check-out counter in a store,displaying the total purchase amount, calculating change due on theamount received, processing credit card purchases, and outputtingtransaction information for printing a receipt showing the transactioncontent after completing payment by cash or credit card. The transactioninformation includes store information such as the name of the storethat sold the product, product information such as the name of the soldproduct, the product category, and the product price, and amountinformation including the total sale amount, the amount received, andthe change due, and this information is output from the POS terminal 2to the printer 3. Based on the transaction information input from thePOS terminal 2, the printer 3 prints on internally stored roll paper(not shown) and issues a receipt.

The POS terminal 2 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, hard diskdrive, or other storage device, and controls parts of the POS terminal 2by the CPU running an OS (operating system) 20. The CPU of the POSterminal 2 also runs an application program 21 on the OS 20, and rendersthe functions of the POS terminal described above.

A printer driver 23, which is a part of the OS 20, is installed in thePOS terminal 2. The printer driver 23 is a device driver program forprinting with the printer 3. The printer driver 23 outputs print dataand print commands, which are generated by the application program 21for printing transaction information in a specific format, to theprinter 3. The print data output by the printer driver 23 includespredefined information such as the logo of the store where the POSterminal 2 is installed, and transaction information produced by theapplication program 21.

The printer 3 has a control unit 30 (print control device) including aCPU, ROM, and RAM, and the control unit 30 controls other parts of theprinter 3. The printer 3 also has a print unit 36 (print unit) includinga printhead and conveyance rollers that prints on roll paper (not shownin the figure); a communication interface 37 that is connected to thecommunication network 10 and communicates data with the member serviceserver 6 described below through the communication network 10; and anexternal interface 38 that connects to external devices. The printer 3has an internal storage device such as flash memory or a hard diskdrive, and a receipt data storage unit 41 (storage unit) thattemporarily stores transaction information input from the POS terminal2, and a terminal ID database 42 (printing conditions database) thatstores the unique IDs received from the member service server 6 asdescribed below, are stored in the storage space of this storage device.

The control unit 30 controls the print unit 36 based on the printcommands and print data input from the POS terminal 2, and has a printcontrol unit 31 (print controller) that prints receipts, a registrationconfirmation unit (decision unit) 32 (25B in FIG. 7), report controlunit 35 (25D in FIG. 7), and control unit (print control device) 30. Theprinter 3 and the POS terminal 2 together function as a POS system bymeans of functions of the print control unit 31.

An NFC reader 45 (data acquisition unit) is also connected to theexternal interface 38 of the printer 3. The NFC reader 45 communicatesby near field communication with a contact less IC card or othercard-type IC tag, or an IC tag in a mobile terminal 5 or other device,and acquires information stored in the IC tag. The IC tag with which theNFC reader 45 communicates could be an active tag or a passive tag. Inthe information management system 1 according to this embodiment, theNFC reader 45 reads the unique ID 52 (identification information) fromthe NFC communication unit 51 (described below) used as a recordingmedium in a mobile terminal 5 (external terminal device), and outputsthe read unique ID 52 through the external interface 38 to the controlunit 30.

The printer 3 also has a buzzer 46 and an indicator 47 for reporting tothe operator that operates the POS terminal 2. These sound or light ascontrolled by the control unit 30.

In the information management system 1, the printer 3 sends transactioninformation recorded on a receipt produced by the printer 3 to themember service server 6, and the member service server 6 can storetransaction information for each customer in a receipt database 7(transaction database, external device). Customers that shopped in thestore where the POS terminal 2 is deployed can retrieve transactioninformation stored in the receipt database 7 by accessing the memberservice server 6. Customers can retrieve data related to the purchaseamount and purchased products at any time, and use this information forasset management using a computer.

The information management system 1 uses the unique ID 52 of the mobileterminal 5 used by the customer as information for identifying thecustomer.

The mobile terminal 5 is a common cellphone or a mobile device such as asmartphone and has the basic configuration required for voice calls anddata communication, that is, a configuration including a microphone,speaker, a communication unit enabling wireless communication with abase station, a display screen, keypad, and battery. The mobile terminal5 also has a NFC communication unit 51 for near field communication(NFC), and the NFC communication unit 51 has an IC chip that stores theunique ID 52, and communicates wirelessly and reports the unique ID 52to the reading device when the mobile terminal 5 is within range of aspecific reading device (the NFC reader 45 in this example).

The unique ID 52 is identification information that differs for eachmobile terminal 5. The unique ID 52 may be an ID that is assigned by themanufacturer or seller of the mobile terminal 5, an ID that is assignedby the entity that operates the information management system 1, an IDthat is assigned by some other business entity, or any other value thatis not identically stored simultaneously by plural mobile terminals 5.

The mobile terminal 5 also has a barcode reader 55 that images and readsbarcodes with an internal camera (not shown in the figure), an e-mailtransmission unit 56 that sends e-mail, and a web browser 57 thatdisplays a web page written in HTML or other markup language. Bydetecting and decoding the code in the captured image, the barcodereader 55 outputs the data from the read barcode. In addition to linearbarcodes, the barcode reader 55 also reads QR codes (R) and othertwo-dimensional code symbols. The e-mail transmission unit 56 has apredetermined e-mail address, and sends e-mail to the specifiedaddressee using this e-mail address. When the barcode reader 55 reads abarcode for sending an e-mail and gets data specifying the e-mailsubject and the e-mail address of the recipient, the e-mail transmissionunit 56 activates based on the acquired information and can startcreating and sending an e-mail. The web browser 57 downloads data for aweb page from an external server device through the communicationnetwork 10, and displays the web page. When an input field is providedin the displayed web page, the web browser 57 also sends the data inputto the input field through the communication network 10 to the specifiedserver.

Management Method of the Information Management System

The information management system 1 identifies customers by the uniqueID 52 assigned to the mobile terminal 5, and manages transactioninformation for each customer. The management method of the informationmanagement system is described below with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG.3. FIG. 2 schematically describes information stored in the databasesadministered by the information management system 1, (A) showinginformation stored in the receipt database 7, (B) showing informationstored in the member information database 8, and (C) showing informationstored in the terminal ID database 42. FIG. 3 shows an example of areceipt R that is printed by the printer 3, and has a printed barcodefor registering the unique ID 52.

As shown in FIG. 2 (A), the receipt database 7 stores the unique ID 52of the mobile terminal 5 related to the e-mail address 15 used by thee-mail transmission unit 56 of the mobile terminal 5. Transactioninformation 16 is stored relationally to the unique ID 52 and e-mailaddress 15 in the receipt database 7. The receipt database 7 can storeplural transaction information 16 records keyed to a specific unique ID52 and e-mail address 15 set.

As shown in FIG. 2 (B), the unique ID 52 and member information 17 arerelationally stored in the member information database 8. The memberinformation 17 is the information input by the customer using the mobileterminal 5 when registering a customer as described below, and mayinclude personal information such as the name, address, age, and sex ofthe customer, and attribute data.

As shown in FIG. 2 (C), the unique ID 52 is also stored in the terminalID database 42 (identification information database) of the printer 3.The unique ID 52 stored in the terminal ID database 42 is the unique ID52 stored in the receipt database 7.

When a unique ID 52 and transaction information are sent from theprinter 3, the member service server 6 stores the transactioninformation in the receipt database 7 relationally to the unique ID 52already stored in the receipt database 7. If the unique ID 52 is notalready stored in the receipt database 7, the transaction informationcannot be stored. In other words, storing transaction information in thereceipt database 7 is limited to customers who have already beenregistered as customers using the receipt database 7. Customers using anunregistered unique ID 52 must perform a task that registers the uniqueID 52. This registration procedure is described below.

The unique ID 52 registered in the receipt database 7 by a specificprocedure is stored in the terminal ID database 42. The printer 3 canknow if a particular unique ID 52 is registered by referencing theterminal ID database 42.

A print receipt flag 18 is stored related to each unique ID 52 in theterminal ID database 42. The print receipt flag 18 is informationspecifying whether or not the printer 3 prints a paper receipt. When theprinter 3 gets a unique ID 52 before printing a receipt, the printer 3reads the print receipt flag 18 stored relationally to the acquiredunique ID 52 in the terminal ID database 42. Based on the setting of theprint receipt flag 18, the printer 3 determines whether or not to printa receipt.

Note that the terminal ID database 42 used as an identificationinformation database is not limited to being stored in the printer 3 asdescribed in this embodiment, and could be stored in an external storagedevice connected to the external interface 38 of the printer 3, forexample. More specifically, the terminal ID database 42 can be anyconfiguration that can be accessed and referenced more quickly than thereceipt database 7 by the control unit 30 of the printer 3. That is, theterminal ID database 42 and the control unit 30 can be connected in anyway enabling the control unit 30 to access the terminal ID database 42and retrieve data more quickly than when accessing a device connectedover the communication network 10.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the control unit 30 of the printer 3 also hasa registration confirmation unit 32 (decision unit), communicationcontrol unit 33 (transmission unit), database control unit 34, andreport control unit 35 in addition to the print control unit 31. Theseparts are embodied by the control unit 30 running a specific program.

When print data from the POS terminal 2 is input and transactioninformation is included in the print data, the registration confirmationunit 32 determines if a unique ID 52 was acquired by the NFC reader 45.Note that the registration confirmation unit 32 may also determine iftransaction information is contained in the print data input from thePOS terminal 2, or operate as though registered information is containedin the print data input from the POS terminal 2 without making thisdetermination. In addition, when a unique ID 52 is acquired by the NFCreader 45, the registration confirmation unit 32 determines if theacquired unique ID 52 is stored in the terminal ID database 42.

If the registration confirmation unit 32 determines that the unique ID52 acquired by the NFC reader 45 is stored in the terminal ID database42, the communication control unit 33 sends the transaction informationand the unique ID 52 through the communication interface 37 to thereceipt receiving server 61 of the member service server 6.

If the registration confirmation unit 32 determines that the unique ID52 acquired by the NFC reader 45 is not stored in the terminal IDdatabase 42, the print control unit 31 prints the transactioninformation input from the POS terminal 2 together with a barcode forthe customer using the mobile terminal 5 to register the unique ID 52 onthe receipt.

Transaction information 102 and a logo 101 for the store where the POSterminal 2 is deployed are printed, and a barcode 103 and instructions104 for registering the unique ID 52 using the barcode 103 are printed,on the receipt R shown in FIG. 3. The barcode 103 encodes, for example,information for creating an e-mail with the mobile terminal 5 in aformat that can be read by the barcode reader 55 of the mobile terminal5. The barcode 103 could be a linear barcode or a QR code (R) or othertwo-dimensional barcode. The information contained in the barcode 103includes the e-mail address of the addressee, and information that isinput to the title (subject) and main text (body) of the e-mail. When abarcode 103 is read with the barcode reader 55, the mobile terminal 5can create and send an e-mail based on the information contained in thebarcode 103 to the e-mail address specified by the barcode 103 by afunction of the e-mail transmission unit 56. The e-mail addresscontained in the barcode 103 is the e-mail address of the member serviceserver 6 stored by the member service server 6. The unique ID 52 isregistered as described below as a result of the mobile terminal 5sending this e-mail to the member service server 6.

The unique ID 52 acquired by the NFC reader 45 may also be contained inthe barcode 103. Because the unique ID 52 is contained in the e-mailsent by the mobile terminal 5 based on the barcode 103, the memberservice server 6 can easily acquire the unique ID 52. In addition, ifincluding the actual unique ID 52 in the barcode 103 must be avoided,information for acquiring the unique ID 52 from an external server (notshown in the figure) that manages the unique IDs 52 could be included inthe barcode 103.

When the registration confirmation unit 32 determines that the unique ID52 acquired by the NFC reader 45 is stored in the terminal ID database42, the print control unit 31 references the value of the print receiptflag 18 stored in the terminal ID database 42. When the print receiptflag 18 is set to print a receipt, the print control unit 31 prints apaper receipt with the print unit 36. The receipt printed in thisinstance is, for example, the receipt R shown in FIG. 3 without thebarcode 103 and instructions 104. When the print receipt flag 18 is setto not print a receipt, the print control unit 31 does not print areceipt.

When a unique ID 52 is registered in the receipt database 7 by theprocedure described below, and the registered unique ID 52 is then sentfrom the member registration server 62, the database (DB) control unit34 receives and stores the unique ID 52 in the terminal ID database 42.When the unique ID 52 and the value of the print receipt flag 18 aresent from the member service server 6, the database control unit 34relationally stores this value with the unique ID 52 in the terminal IDdatabase 42.

When the print control unit 31 does not print a receipt based on thevalue of the print receipt flag 18 in the terminal ID database 42, thereport control unit 35 sounds the buzzer 46 and lights the indicator 47.

The member service server 6 is a server that exchanges data with theprinter 3 and mobile terminal 5 through the communication network 10,and has a receipt receiving server 61 and a member registration server62. The member service server 6 also stores the receipt database 7 andmember information database 8 described above.

The member service server 6, receipt database 7, and member informationdatabase 8 can be configured as desired. The receipt receiving server 61and member registration server 62 may be servers rendered virtually onthe single member service server 6, or if the member service server 6consists of plural separate servers, the receipt receiving server 61 andmember registration server 62 could be rendered as separate individualservers. This also applies to the receipt database 7 and memberinformation database 8, with storage areas functioning as the receiptdatabase 7 and member information database 8 reserved virtually in thestorage device storing the member service server 6, or a database serverthat functions as the receipt database 7 and member information database8 disposed separately from the member service server 6.

The receipt receiving server 61 receives the unique ID 52 andtransaction information sent from the printer 3, and relationally storesthe unique ID 52 with the transaction information in the receiptdatabase 7. The receipt receiving server 61 has a URL (Uniform ResourceLocator) that receives access requests from mobile terminals 5, and whenaccessed by the web browser 57 of the mobile terminal 5 specifying thatURL, sends data for a member service web page to the mobile terminal 5.Note that a member as used here denotes a customer registered by aunique ID 52 in the receipt database 7.

When data is input to a web page the receipt receiving server 61 sent tothe web browser 57 and that data is sent from the web browser 57, thereceipt receiving server 61 receives the data. When a transactioninformation request is contained in the received data, the receiptreceiving server 61 reads the transaction information from the receiptdatabase 7 in response to the request, and generates and sends a webpage containing the read transaction information to the mobile terminal5. The customer operating the mobile terminal 5 can then view a recordof their own purchases by the web browser 57 displaying the web pagesent from the receipt receiving server 61.

The member registration server 62 executes a process that registers theunique ID 52 in the receipt database 7 and member information database8. The member registration server 62 has an e-mail address for sendingand receiving e-mail, and a URL for access from the mobile terminal 5.The member registration server 62 receives e-mail sent from the mobileterminal 5, and sends e-mail containing the URL for registration to thee-mail address of the sender of the e-mail. If the web browser 57 of themobile terminal 5 specifies the registration URL and accesses theserver, the member registration server 62 sends data for theregistration page to the mobile terminal 5. When data is then input tothe web page sent to the web browser 57 and this data is sent from theweb browser 57, the member registration server 62 receives the data. Themember registration server 62 then extracts the unique ID 52 and thepersonal information and attributes of the member from the received dataand registers the extracted information in the member informationdatabase 8. The member registration server 62 then sends the registeredunique ID 52 to the printer 3. If information specifying whether or notto print a receipt is contained in the dat received from the mobileterminal 5, the member registration server 62 determines the setting ofthe print receipt flag 18 based on this information and outputs thesetting with the unique ID 52 to the printer 3.

Operation of the Information Management System

The operation of the information management system is described nextwith reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing theoperation of the information management system, particularly theoperation when a transaction related to a product sale is executed bythe POS terminal 2. In FIG. 4, (A) denotes the operation of the printer3, and (B) denotes the operation of the member service server 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the control unit 30 of the printer 3 receivesprint data and a print command instructing printing a receipt from thePOS terminal 2 (step S11), the control unit 30 determines if read datawas input from the NFC reader 45 (step S12). If read data from the NFCreader 45 is not input within a predetermined specific time (step S12returns NO), the print control unit 31 controls the print unit 36 toprint a receipt (step S13), and ends this process.

When a unique ID 52 is read and the read data is input to the NFC reader45 by communication between the NFC reader 45 and the NFC communicationunit 51 of the mobile terminal 5 (step S12 returns YES), theregistration confirmation unit 32 determines if the unique ID 52 isalready registered based on whether or not the input unique ID 52 isstored in the terminal ID database 42 (step S14). If the unique ID 52 isnot registered (step S14 returns NO), the print control unit 31 prints areceipt (such as receipt R shown in FIG. 3) with a barcode (such asbarcode 103 in FIG. 3) containing the e-mail address for sending theregistration e-mail to the member registration server 62, and thesubject and any text to include in the body of the e-mail (step S15).The unique ID 52 acquired by the NFC reader 45, or information foracquiring the unique ID 52 from a separate server device, could beincluded in the barcode printed on the receipt.

The registration confirmation unit 32 then stores the registrationinformation printed on the receipt related to the unique ID 52 inputfrom the NFC reader 45 in the receipt data storage unit 41 (step S16),and ends this process.

If the unique ID 52 input from the NFC reader 45 is already registered(step S14 returns YES), the print control unit 31 reads the printreceipt flag 18 stored in the terminal ID database 42 and determineswhether or not to print a receipt (step S17). If a receipt is not to beprinted (step S17 returns NO), the report control unit 35 sounds thebuzzer 46 and turns on the indicator 47 to inform the operator (stepS18), and then goes to step S20. If a receipt is to be printed (step S17returns YES), the print control unit 31 prints a normal receipt printedwith the transaction information by the print unit 36 (step S19), andthen goes to step S20.

In step S20, the communication control unit 33 sends the unique ID 52input from the NFC reader 45 with the transaction information to thereceipt receiving server 61.

The receipt receiving server 61 of the member service server 6 receivesthe transaction information and unique ID 52 sent from the printer 3(step S21), and stores the received transaction information related tothe unique ID 52 in the receipt database 7 (step S22). In addition, thereceipt receiving server 61 sends an e-mail containing a URL for viewingand retrieving transaction information in the receipt database 7 to thee-mail address stored in the receipt database 7 for the unique ID 52,and then ends this process.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the operation of the information managementsystem 1, showing particularly the operation when registering a uniqueID 52 in the receipt database 7. In FIG. 5, (A) shows the operation ofthe mobile terminal 5, and (B) shows the operation of the member serviceserver 6. The operation shown in FIG. 5 is executed using the receiptprinted in step S15 in FIG. 4 (A).

As shown in FIG. 5, a customer that wants to register operates themobile terminal 5 to read the barcode printed on the receipt with thebarcode reader 55 (step S31), and the e-mail transmission unit 56creates and sends an e-mail based on information contained in thebarcode (step S32). The e-mail created by the e-mail transmission unit56 could be an empty e-mail message containing only the informationcontained in the barcode on the receipt, and not containing anyinformation input by input operations of the customer.

The member registration server 62 of the member service server 6 thenreceives the e-mail sent from the mobile terminal 5 (step S41 in FIG. 4(B)), gets the e-mail address of the sender of the e-mail (step S42),and sends an e-mail containing a URL for accessing the registration webpage to the e-mail address of the sender (step S43).

When the mobile terminal 5 receives the e-mail sent by the memberregistration server 62 (step S33), the web browser 57 accesses themember registration server 62 based on the URL contained in the receivede-mail (step S34).

The member registration server 62 detects access by the mobile terminal5 (step S44), and sends the data for the registration page to the mobileterminal 5 (step S45). The web browser 57 of the mobile terminal 5 thusreceives and displays the web page sent from the member registrationserver 62 (step S35). This web page has, for example, fields forinputting the customer's name, address, age, sex, or other personalinformation and attributes, and an input field for specifying whether ornot to print a receipt even when the transaction information is storedin the receipt database 7. If the customer operates the mobile terminal5 and inputs information based on the web page (step S36), the webbrowser 57 sends the information input to the input fields of the webpage to the member registration server 62 (step S37).

The member registration server 62 receives the information sent from themobile terminal 5 (step S46), and based on the received informationrelationally stores the unique ID 52 and member information 17 in themember information database 8 (step S47), and registers the unique ID 52in the receipt database 7 (step S48). The unique ID 52 may also be inputto an input field of the web page on the mobile terminal 5. If theunique ID 52 is contained in the e-mail sent by the mobile terminal 5 instep S32, the member registration server 62 could acquire the unique ID52 with the e-mail address. The e-mail address acquired in step S42could also be stored in the receipt database 7 in step S48.

The member registration server 62 then sends the unique ID 52 registeredin the receipt database 7, and the value of the print receipt flag 18generated based on information sent from the mobile terminal 5, to theprinter 3 (step S49), and ends this process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation of the information managementsystem 1, showing particularly the operation after a unique ID 52 isregistered in the receipt database 7. In FIG. 6, (A) shows the operationof the printer 3, and (B) shows the operation of the member serviceserver 6. The operation shown in FIG. 6 is executed after step S49 inFIG. 5 (B).

As shown in FIG. 6, the communication control unit 33 of the printer 3receives the unique ID 52 and the value of the print receipt flag 18that were sent by the member registration server 62 (step S51), and thedatabase control unit 34 saves the received unique ID 52 and the settingof the print receipt flag 18 in the terminal ID database 42 (step S52).The communication control unit 33 then determines if transactioninformation corresponding to the received unique ID 52 is stored in thereceipt data storage unit 41 (step S53). Transaction informationcorresponding to an unregistered unique ID 52 is stored in the receiptdata storage unit 41 in step S16 in FIG. 4 (A). If such transactioninformation is stored (step S53 returns YES), the communication controlunit 33 reads the transaction information from the receipt data storageunit 41 and sends the transaction information with a link to the uniqueID 52 to the member service server 6 (step S54).

Note that the transaction information stored in the receipt data storageunit 41 is deleted after being sent to the member service server 6 instep S54, or after a specific time has past.

When the printer 3 sends the transaction information to the receiptreceiving server 61 in step S54 in FIG. 6 (A), the receipt receivingserver 61 executes steps S21 to S23 in FIG. 4 (B).

As described above, when a customer for which a unique ID 52 is notregistered in the receipt database 7 uses the POS terminal 2 andperforms the registration operation shown in FIG. 5 based on the printedreceipt R, the transaction information already printed on the receipt isstored in the receipt database 7. As a result, when the customer wantsto use the receipt database 7 as a member, the transaction informationat that time can be stored in the receipt database 7 and userconvenience can be improved.

As described above, an information management system 1 according to thefirst embodiment of the invention includes a printer 3 with a print unit36 that prints receipts based on transaction information related toproduct sales; a receipt database 7 that stores transaction informationrelated to a registered unique ID 52; and a member service server 6 witha member registration server 62 that registers the unique ID 52 in thereceipt database 7 according to access from the mobile terminal 5. Theprinter 3 has an NFC reader 45 that reads the unique ID 52 of a mobileterminal 5, a registration confirmation unit 32 that determines if aunique ID 52 acquired by an NFC reader 45 is registered in the receiptdatabase 7, and a control unit 30.

The control unit 30 includes a print control unit 31 and communicationcontrol unit 33. When an acquired unique ID 52 is not registered in thereceipt database 7, the print control unit 31 controls the print unit 36to print the transaction information and access information foraccessing the member registration server 62. When the acquired unique ID52 is registered in the receipt database 7, the communication controlunit 33 sends the unique ID 52 linked to the transaction information tothe member service server 6.

As a result, the printer 3 gets the unique ID 52 recorded in the mobileterminal 5 used by the customer, and if this unique ID 52 is alreadyregistered, sends the transaction information, which is the informationprinted on the receipt, to the receipt database 7. The transactioninformation can therefore be stored in the database using the print dataoutput by the POS terminal 2. If the unique ID 52 is not registered, abarcode providing access information is printed with the transactioninformation on the receipt. Customers can therefore be prompted toregister the unique ID 52, and the convenience of customers that want toregister their unique ID 52 can be improved. As a result, the POSterminal 2 does not need to be provided with functions for executing aregistration process when a customer wants to register, and executing aprocess for storing the transaction information in the receipt database7. Therefore, a system that stores transaction information as data andenables customers to retrieve the transaction information can beachieved without changing the configuration of existing POS terminals 2.

Because the printer 3 connected to the POS terminal 2 in thisconfiguration has an NFC reader 45, a registration confirmation unit 32,a print control unit 31, and a database control unit 34, the transactioninformation can be stored in the receipt database 7, and the customercan be enabled to retrieve the transaction information, if the POSterminal 2 outputs print data containing transaction information in thesame way as when printing a normal receipt.

Furthermore, because the control unit 30 functioning as a print controldevice acquires the unique ID 52 with an NFC reader 45 each timetransaction information is input from the POS terminal 2, thetransaction information can be processed based on the unique ID 52 eachtime a transaction related to a product sale is executed. A normal POSterminal 2 can therefore also process the transaction information at thesame timing a receipt is issued.

The control unit 30 stores the acquired unique ID 52 and the transactioninformation in the receipt data storage unit 41 when the unique ID 52acquired by the NFC reader 45 is not registered in the receipt database7, and when the unique ID 52 is registered in the receipt database 7,the control unit 30 sends the unique ID 52 and the transactioninformation stored in the receipt data storage unit 41 to the receiptdatabase 7. As a result, when an unregistered customer registers in thereceipt database 7 after completing a transaction related to a productsale, the transaction information can be retroactively stored in thereceipt database 7.

The printer 3 also has a terminal ID database 42 that stores the uniqueIDs 52 registered in the receipt database 7, and by referencing theterminal ID database 42, the registration confirmation unit 32 canquickly determine whether or not the unique ID 52 acquired by the NFCreader 45 is registered in the receipt database 7, and can shorten thetime required to issue a receipt.

Because the member registration server 62 acquires the e-mail addressused by the mobile terminal 5 and the unique ID 52 from the mobileterminal 5, a URL for viewing transaction information in the receiptdatabase 7 can be sent by e-mail, and marketing and incentives can becommunicated by e-mail to customers using an NFC communication unit 51with a unique ID 52 that has been registered.

An information management system 1 according to the first embodiment ofthe invention includes a printer 3 with a print unit 36 that printsreceipts based on transaction information related to product sales; areceipt database 7 that stores transaction information related to aregistered unique ID 52; and a member service server 6 with a memberregistration server 62 that registers the unique ID 52 in the receiptdatabase 7 according to access from the mobile terminal 5. The printer 3has a terminal ID database 42 that stores a print receipt flag 18, whichis information related to whether or not to print a receipt, related toeach unique ID 52 registered in the receipt database 7; an NFC reader 45that reads the unique ID 52 of a mobile terminal 5; a registrationconfirmation unit 32 that determines if a unique ID 52 acquired by anNFC reader 45 is registered in the receipt database 7, and a controlunit 30.

The control unit 30 includes a communication control unit 33 and a printcontrol unit 31. When the acquired unique ID 52 is registered in thereceipt database 7, the communication control unit 33 sends the uniqueID 52 linked to the transaction information to the member service server6. When an acquired unique ID 52 is registered in the receipt database7, the print control unit 31 controls the print unit 36 to print areceipt based on the print receipt flag 18 stored in the terminal IDdatabase 42.

As a result, the printer 3 gets the unique ID 52 recorded in the mobileterminal 5 used by the customer, and if this unique ID 52 is alreadyregistered, sends the transaction information, which is the informationprinted on the receipt, to the receipt database 7. The transactioninformation can therefore be stored in the database using the print dataoutput by the POS terminal 2. As a result, the POS terminal 2 does notneed to be provided with functions for executing a registration processwhen a customer wants to register, and executing a process for storingthe transaction information in the receipt database 7. For customersusing a registered unique ID 52, transaction information can thereforebe stored in the receipt database 7 and printing receipts can becontrolled based on the print receipt flag 18. Customers can thereforeuse transaction information data and printed receipts as desired. Asystem that acquires transaction information as data, and enablescustomers to use the transaction information data and printed receiptsas desired, can therefore can be achieved without changing theconfiguration of existing POS terminals 2.

Furthermore, because the print control unit 31 can print accessinformation for accessing the member registration server 62 andtransaction information with the print unit 36 when the acquired uniqueID 52 has not been registered in the receipt database 7, customers canbe prompted to register the unique ID 52 when a unique ID 52 is notregistered, and the convenience of customers that want to register theirunique ID 52 can be improved.

The terminal ID database 42 is connected to the control unit 30 of theprinter 3, and the print receipt flag 18 is relationally stored with theunique ID 52 in the terminal ID database 42. By referencing the terminalID database 42, the registration confirmation unit 32 can determine ifthe unique ID 52 acquired by the NFC reader 45 is registered in thereceipt database 7, and whether or not to print a receipt for theregistered unique ID 52, more quickly than when accessing the receiptdatabase 7. The time required to produce a receipt can therefore beshortened.

In the information management system 1 according to the first embodimentof the invention, the printer 3 connected to the POS terminal 2 isconfigured with functions for printing a barcode for registering aunique ID 52, printing receipts, and transmitting the transactioninformation and unique ID 52, but the invention is not so limited, andthe functions described above can be embodied by the POS terminal 2 oranother device connected to the POS terminal 2. An example of such aconfiguration is described below as the second embodiment.

Embodiment 2

A second embodiment of the invention is described below with referenceto FIG. 7. FIG. 7 illustrates the configuration of the informationmanagement system 11 according to the second embodiment of theinvention. Note that the same reference numerals are used and furtherdescription of configurations and content that are the same as in thefirst embodiment is omitted below.

As shown in FIG. 7, this information management system 11 has a POSterminal 2A and printer 3A (printing device) instead of the POS terminal2 and printer 3 in the above information management system 1, has astore server 9 installed in the store where the POS terminal 2A isinstalled, and communicatively connects the store server 9 to the memberservice server 6 through the communication network 10. The printerdriver 25 (print control device) that is part of the OS 20 of the POSterminal 2A has the functions of the control unit 30 (FIG. 1). The POSterminal 2A also has a communication interface 26 for communicating withthe store server 9, and an external interface 27 to which externaldevices connect. The NFC reader 45, buzzer 46, indicator 47, and printer3A are connected to the external interface 27, and the printer 3Aincludes a print unit 36.

The printer driver 25 includes a print control unit 25A (printcontroller) that prints by the printer 3A, a control unit 30 (printcontrol device), and a registration confirmation unit 25B (decisionunit) that determines whether or not the unique ID 52 read by the NFCreader 45 is registered. The printer driver 25 also includes acommunication control unit 25C that sends transaction information andthe unique ID 52 to the store server 9, and a report control unit 25Dthat sounds the buzzer 46 and lights the indicator 47 to announce whenthe print control unit 25A does not print a receipt.

The store server 9 is also communicatively connected by Ethernet (R) tothe POS terminal 2A, receives transaction information sent by the POSterminal 2A, and executes transaction information processes. The storeserver 9 has the receipt data storage unit 41 and terminal ID database42 described above, a communication interface 94 to which the memberservice server 6 connects through the communication network 10, and acontrol unit 91 that controls other parts. The control unit 91 includesa communication control unit 92 (transmission unit) that sends andreceives data with the POS terminal 2A and the member service server 6,and a database control unit 93 that manages information stored in thereceipt data storage unit 41 and the terminal ID database 42.

A customer that shopped in a store where the POS terminal 2 is installedcan retrieve transaction information stored in the receipt database 7 byaccessing the member service server 6 in the information managementsystem 11 in the same way as described in the first embodiment above.

In addition, the POS terminal 2A of the information management system 11sends the transaction information recorded on a receipt produced by theprinter 3 to the store server 9, and the store server 9 sends thetransaction information to the member service server 6. As a result, themember service server 6 stores individually by customer in the receiptdatabase 7.

When the POS application program 21 of the POS terminal 2A instructsprinting and outputs transaction information, the registrationconfirmation unit 25B of the printer driver 25 determines if a unique ID52 was acquired by the NFC reader 45. If a unique ID 52 was acquired bythe NFC reader 45, the registration confirmation unit 25B sends theacquired unique ID 52 to the store server 9.

The control unit 91 of the store server 9 then determines if the uniqueID 52 sent from the POS terminal 2A is stored in the terminal IDdatabase 42, and sends the result of this decision to the POS terminal2A. The registration confirmation unit 25B gets the decision sent fromthe store server 9, and notifies the print control unit 25A.

If the unique ID 52 sent from the POS terminal 2 is stored in theterminal ID database 42, the store server 9 reads and sends the settingof the print receipt flag 18 related to that unique ID 52 to the POSterminal 2A.

If the unique ID 52 sent from the POS terminal 2 is stored in theterminal ID database 42, the control unit 91 also sends the unique ID 52and the transaction information sent from the POS terminal 2A to themember service server 6 and stores it in the receipt database 7.

If the unique ID 52 sent from the POS terminal 2 is not stored in theterminal ID database 42, the control unit 91 stores the unique ID 52 andthe transaction information sent from the POS terminal 2A in the receiptdata storage unit 41.

When the POS application program 21 of the POS terminal 2A instructsprinting and outputs transaction information, the print control unit 25Aexecutes an operation based on the transaction information.

More specifically, when transaction information is input and a unique ID52 was read by the NFC reader 45, the print control unit 25A sends thetransaction information output by the POS application program 21 bymeans of the communication control unit 25C to the store server 9.

When the setting of the print receipt flag 18 from the store server 9 issent, and the setting of the print receipt flag 18 indicates to notprint a receipt, the print control unit 25A does not output a printcommand and print data to the printer 3A. In this event, the reportcontrol unit 25D sounds the buzzer 46, lights the indicator 47, andinforms the operator of the POS terminal 2A that a receipt will not beprinted.

If the store server 9 determines the unique ID 52 acquired by the NFCreader 45 is not stored in the terminal ID database 42, the printcontrol unit 25A prints the transaction information input from the POSapplication program 21 together with a barcode for the customer usingthe mobile terminal 5 to register the unique ID 52 on the receipt. Thereceipt printed in this event has a barcode 103 and instructions 104printed as shown in the receipt R in FIG. 3, for example.

In addition, if a unique ID 52 could not be read by the NFC reader 45,the print control unit 25A generates and outputs a print command andprint data for printing the transaction information input from the POSapplication program 21 to the printer 3A, and prints a receipt.

As in the information management system 1 according to the firstembodiment of the invention described above, the mobile terminal 5 usedby a customer can access the member service server 6 and register theunique ID 52 in this information management system 11 by the customerusing the mobile terminal 5 to read the barcode printed on the receipt.When a unique ID 52 is newly registered in the receipt database 7, themember service server 6 sends the registered unique ID 52 and thesetting of the print receipt flag 18 to the store server 9.

The database control unit 93 of the store server 9 stores the unique ID52 and print receipt flag 18 setting sent from the member service server6 in the terminal ID database 42.

When a unique ID 52 is registered in the receipt database 7 by themember service server 6, and a registered unique ID 52 is sent from themember service server 6, the database (DB) control unit 93 receives andstores the unique ID 52 in the terminal ID database 42.

When the setting of the print receipt flag 18 is sent with a newlyregistered unique ID 52 from the member service server 6, the databasecontrol unit 93 stores the flag setting relationally to the unique ID 52in the terminal ID database 42.

When the setting of the print receipt flag 18 is sent with a newlyregistered unique ID 52 from the member service server 6, and there istransaction information stored relationally to the unique ID 52 in thereceipt data storage unit 41, the database control unit 93 sends thetransaction information to the member service server 6 and stores it inthe receipt database 7.

The information management system 11 thus comprised executes theoperations shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 in the same way as the informationmanagement system 1, registers the unique ID 52 stored in the mobileterminal 5 used by a customer in the receipt database 7 and memberinformation database 8, stores transaction information in the receiptdatabase 7, and enables the customer to use the transaction information.In other words, the same effect as the information management system 1can be achieved.

If a customer wishes to register in this information management system11, registration can be easily completed by the mobile terminal 5sending an e-mail based on the barcode printed on a receipt.

This information management system 11 embodies the function of thecontrol unit 30 in the first embodiment in the printer driver 25 of thePOS terminal 2A. This configuration can process transaction informationwithout changing the POS application program 21 of the POS terminal 2A.Therefore, if the printer driver 25 can be changed, such as when the OS20 of the POS terminal 2A is the operating system of a common computer,a system that provides transaction information to customers can be builtusing an existing POS terminal 2A.

Furthermore, by using a store server 9, the POS terminal 2A does notcommunicate directly with the member service server 6, and there is noeffect on the operation of the POS application program 21. Yet further,the store server 9 can be used as a server device that is connected toplural POS terminals 2A, collects transaction information from theplural POS terminals 2A, and manages sales.

The foregoing embodiments describe examples that use the invention, butthe invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, each ofthe foregoing embodiments is configured to report when a receipt is notprinted by the buzzer 46 and indicator 47, but configurations using onlythe buzzer 46 or the indicator 47 are conceivable, and reports can beissued by other methods such as displaying a message on the displayscreen of the printer 3 or POS terminal 2A.

The mobile terminal 5 in the foregoing embodiments has a NFCcommunication unit 51, and this NFC communication unit 51 is describedas storing the unique ID 52, but a configuration that reads the uniqueID from the card-like storage medium when the customer has a card-likestorage medium that uses NFC is also conceivable. If the unique ID orinformation for acquiring a unique ID is included in the barcode printedon the receipt in this configuration, the operation described above canbe executed using a mobile terminal 5 that does not store a unique ID52. The printing method of the print unit 36 in the printer 3 or printer3A, and other detailed aspects of the specific configuration canobviously be changed as desired.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the invention is useful in an information managementsystem that processes transaction information related to product sales,and can be used to build an information management system that canimprove the convenience of customers and management of transactioninformation without greatly changing the configuration of existingprinters in a store, for example.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1, 11 information management system-   2, 2A POS terminal-   3, 3A printer (printing device)-   5 mobile terminal (external terminal device)-   6 member service server (identification information management    device)-   7 receipt database (transaction database, external device)-   8 member information database-   9 store server-   18 print receipt flag-   23 printer driver-   25 printer driver (print control device)-   25A, 31 print control unit (print control means)-   25B, 32 registration confirmation unit (decision unit)-   25C communication control unit-   25D, 30 control unit (print control device)-   33, 92 communication control unit (transmission unit)-   34 database control unit-   35 report control unit-   36 print unit (print unit)-   41 receipt data storage unit (storage unit)-   42 terminal ID database (identification information database)-   45 NFC reader (information acquisition unit)-   46 buzzer-   47 indicator-   51 NFC communication unit (recording medium)-   52 unique ID (identification information)-   55 barcode reader-   56 e-mail transmission unit-   57 web browser-   61 receipt receiving server-   62 member registration server-   91 control unit-   93 database control unit-   103 barcode-   104 instructions-   R receipt

1. A printing device adapted to communicate with a remote server, a POSterminal, and an external device, the printing device comprising: aprint unit configured to print a receipt; and a controller configured toacquire identification information from the external device andtransaction information from the POS terminal, and to send thetransaction information and the identification information to the remoteserver.
 2. The printing device described in claim 1, wherein thecontroller is configured to access and reference an identificationinformation database in which the identification information is stored.3. The printing device described in claim 2, wherein the controller isconfigured to determine whether the identification information acquiredfrom the external device is stored in the identification informationdatabase, and if the identification information acquired from theexternal device is not stored in the identification informationdatabase, the controller sends access information to access the remoteserver to the print unit and controls the print unit to print thereceipt based on the access information.
 4. The printing devicedescribed in claim 3, wherein the print unit is configured to print thereceipt based on the transaction information.
 5. The printing devicedescribed in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determinewhether the identification information is input from the external deviceduring a specific time period after the transaction is input from thePOS terminal, and if the identification information is not input duringthe specific time period, the controller controls the print unit toprint the receipt based on the transaction information.
 6. The printingdevice described in claim 2, wherein the identification informationdatabase stores a print receipt flag corresponding to the identificationinformation and specifying whether or not to print the receipt.
 7. Theprinting device described in claim 6, wherein the controller isconfigured to acquire the print receipt flag from the remote server. 8.The printing device described in claim 7, further comprising: a storageunit configured to store the identification information database.
 9. Acontrol method for a printing device adapted to communicate with aremote server and having a print unit configured to print a receipt, acontroller, a POS terminal, and an external device, the control methodcomprising: acquiring customer identification information from theexternal device and transaction information from the POS terminal; andsending the transaction information and the identification informationto the remote server.
 10. The control method described in claim 9,further comprising: accessing and referencing an identificationinformation database in which the identification information is stored.11. The control method described in claim 10, further comprising:determining whether the identification information acquired from theexternal device is stored in the identification information database,and if the identification information acquired from the external deviceis not stored in the identification information database, sending accessinformation to access the remote server to the print unit andcontrolling the print unit to print the receipt based on the accessinformation.
 12. The control method described in claim 11, whereinprinting the receipt based on the transaction information.
 13. Thecontrol method described in claim 9, further comprising: determiningwhether the identification information is input from the external deviceduring a specific period of time after the transaction information isinput from the POS terminal, and if the identification information isnot input during the specific period of time, printing the receipt basedon the transaction information.
 14. The control method described inclaim 9, wherein the identification information database stores a printreceipt flag corresponding to the identification information, thecontrol method further comprising: determining whether or not to printthe receipt based on the print receipt flag.
 15. The control methoddescribed in claim 14, further comprising: acquiring the print receiptflag from the remote server.